Run calendar
Every shed on the run with dates, sheep numbers, stands needed and clash warnings before you confirm a booking.
Shearing contractor software: crew scheduling & tallies
Shearing contractors: every shed booked, every crew sorted. More sheep shorn, less time on the phone.
Shed bookings live in a diary and your head. Crews get sorted by text at 9pm. Tallies come back on a scrap of paper in the ute and pay day turns into an argument. We build crew scheduling, tally, pay and invoicing systems for shearing contractors that all talk to each other, then we host them and look after them.
Looking for shearing contractor software that handles the run, the crew and the pay?
A shearing contractor juggles a moving puzzle. Dozens of growers want their sheep off before lambing or before the grass seed gets in. Shearers, rousies, pressers, classers and a cook all need to be at the right shed on the right morning. Then it rains, the sheep are wet and the whole run slides back three days. Most contractors hold it together with a diary, a phone full of texts and tally books that get rained on.
Wollopit builds custom software around how your run actually works. Shed bookings sit on one calendar so clashes show up before they happen. Crews get their week on their phones. Tallies are entered at the shed and turn straight into shearer pay and grower invoices in Xero or MYOB. When the weather turns, everyone affected hears about it in one go. We host it, look after it and keep it working when you're three hours from the nearest town.
01The problems
What we hear from shearing contractors
Does your shearing contracting business have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most contractors we talk to are flat out shearing or driving between sheds. The paperwork gets done at night, by hand, when everyone's knackered.
- The problemShed bookings in a diaryGrowers ring to book, the date goes in a diary or your head and two sheds end up wanting the same crew on the same Monday.How we fix itOne run calendar with every shed, sheep numbers and stand count. Clashes and crew shortfalls show up before you say yes.
- The problemCrews sorted by textGroup chats, missed messages and a shearer who thought he was at a different shed. You find out at 7:30am who's not coming.How we fix itCrew rosters sent to phones with the shed, start time and directions. Each person confirms so you know the gaps the night before.
- The problemWet sheep wreck the weekRain hits, the sheep are wet and you spend the evening ringing growers, crew and the cook one by one.How we fix itPush a shed back and every grower, shearer and shed hand affected gets an SMS. The rest of the run reshuffles on screen.
- The problemTallies on paperTally books get smudged, lost in the ute or added up wrong. Then a shearer reckons he did 30 more than you've paid him.How we fix itDigital tallies entered at the shed, run by run and per shearer, with sheep types and a sign-off from the board at cut-out.
- The problemPay day takes all nightWorking out tallies by rate per hundred, rams and lambs at different rates, shed hand hours and gear deductions by hand.How we fix itPay worked out from tallies and hours at your rates under the Pastoral Award, then sent to Xero or your payroll ready to approve.
- The problemInvoicing growers weeks laterThe shed cuts out, the tally sheet sits on the dash and the invoice goes out a month late with something missing.How we fix itGrower invoices built from the tallies the day the shed cuts out, with crutching, extras and travel and sent straight into Xero or MYOB.
- The problemShed details nobody can findWhich gate, which dog's cranky, where the quarters are, whether there's power and who's cooking. All in your head.How we fix itA shed card for every property: contacts, directions, quarters, power, water, stand count and notes from last season.
- The problemFinding enough crewRinging round to fill a stand, not knowing who's free or who's already booked at a mate's shed.How we fix itA crew list with availability, skills and contact details so you can see who's free and offer the stand in a couple of taps.
- The problemSafety and inductions on the flyShed inspections, inductions and incident reports done on paper or not at all, then you need them when something goes wrong.How we fix itShed safety checklists, crew inductions and incident reports on a phone with photos, kept against each shed and each person.
- The problemNo idea how the season's goingYou don't really know your sheep numbers, earnings per shed or which growers pay slow until the accountant tells you.How we fix itA season dashboard with sheep shorn, sheds done and to come, crew numbers, invoiced and owing.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for shearing contractors. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Grower booking requests
Growers request a date online or reply to a text, with sheep numbers and types, so nothing lives only in your head.
Crew rosters
Shearers, rousies, pressers, classers and cooks rostered to sheds with confirmations on their phones.
Crew list & availability
Everyone you use with skills, availability and contact details so filling a stand takes minutes.
Weather reschedules
Shift a shed and SMS everyone affected in one go, with the rest of the run reshuffled on screen.
Digital tallies
Per shearer and per run, with sheep types, rams, lambs and crutching. Works offline in the shed and syncs later.
Shearer pay
Tallies and hours turned into pay at your rates, with gear deductions and super, sent to payroll to approve.
Shearer tally app
Shearers see their own tallies and pay worked out, so pay day stops being an argument.
Grower invoicing
Invoices from the tally sheet the day the shed cuts out, sent straight into Xero or MYOB.
Shed cards
Directions, gate codes, quarters, power, water, contacts and last season's notes for every property.
Safety & inductions
Shed checklists, inductions and incident reports with photos, stored against each shed and crew member.
Season dashboard
Sheep shorn, sheds to come, money invoiced and owing and how each crew is tracking.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole run, on one system.
These are the systems shearing contractors need most. Each one works on its own. Join them up and a tally entered in the shed becomes pay and an invoice without anyone retyping it.
Crew scheduling
Every shed booked. Every stand filled.
Your whole run on one calendar, with shearing teams booked to sheds. See which sheds are coming up, how many stands each one needs and who's on them. Clashes and gaps show up before they cost you a morning.
- Run calendar by week or season
- Sheep numbers and stands per shed
- Clash and double-booking warnings
- Crew rostered to sheds by drag and drop
- Rosters sent to phones with directions
- Crew confirm or decline in one tap
- Open stands offered to available crew
- Shed hands, pressers, classers and cooks
- Drag a shed back and the run reshuffles
- Rain delay SMS to everyone affected
Digital tallies
Tallies counted in the shed. No more smudged books.
Tallies get entered at the shed on a phone or tablet, run by run and per shearer. It works with no signal and syncs when you're back in range. Shearers can see their own counts so disputes get sorted on the board, not on pay day.
- Per shearer and per run
- Ewes, wethers, lambs and rams
- Crutching and wigging counts
- Works offline in the shed
- Syncs when back in signal
- Sign-off at cut-out
- Shearers see their own tallies
- Running totals per shed
- Corrections logged with a reason
- Tally sheets ready to send the grower
Shearer pay
Pay day without the all-nighter.
Tallies and hours flow into pay worked out at your rates, whether that's per hundred for shearers or hourly for shed hands. Gear deductions and extras are added with sign-off. It all lands in Xero, MYOB or Employment Hero ready for you to approve.
- Rates per hundred by sheep type
- Higher rates for rams and stud sheep
- Shed hand and presser hours
- Built around the Pastoral Award rates you pay
- Gear and comb deductions with sign-off
- Travel and keep allowances
- Super worked out each pay
- Payslip summaries on phones
- Sent to payroll ready to approve
- Pay history per person
Grower invoicing
Invoice the day the shed cuts out.
The tally sheet becomes the invoice. Sheep counts, crutching, extras and travel are worked out at that grower's rates and pushed into Xero or MYOB. You can see who's paid and who's due a reminder.
- Invoices built from tallies
- Rates per grower and sheep type
- Crutching, wigging and extras
- Travel and minimum charges
- Tally sheet attached to the invoice
- Straight into Xero or MYOB
- Overdue reminders by email or SMS
- Owing by grower at a glance
- Season totals per property
- Next season's booking offered with the invoice
Shed info & safety
Every shed, known before you get there.
A shed card for every property holds the directions, gate codes, quarters, power, water and notes from last season. Shed safety checks and crew inductions are done on a phone and kept on record.
- Directions and map pin
- Gate codes and grower contacts
- Quarters, beds and kitchen
- Power, water and phone signal notes
- Stand count and board layout
- Notes from last season
- Shed safety checklist with photos
- Crew inductions per shed
- Incident reports on the spot
- Records kept per shed and person
04How it changes
Before and after
A rained-out shed, wolloped.
Here's how a wet Wednesday could change. Every run is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Rain overnight and the sheep are wet
- Ring the grower to push it back
- Text each shearer and shed hand one by one
- Ring the cook and the next shed on the run
- Rewrite the diary and hope nothing clashes
- Someone still turns up at the wrong shed
After
- Rain overnight and the sheep are wet
- Drag the shed back two days on your phone
- Everyone affected gets an SMS in one go
- The rest of the run reshuffles with clashes flagged
- Crew confirm their new days with one tap
- Everyone's phone shows where they're going
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for shearing contractors.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for shearing contractors
Built around how your shearing contracting business actually runs: run calendar, grower booking requests and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for shearing contractors
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Shearing contracting business system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for shearing contractors
Crew rosters and crew list & availability: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your shearing contracting business, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the tools you already use, work alongside the ones that do the job and replace the ones holding you back.
- Xero
- MYOB
- QuickBooks
- Employment Hero
- Google Maps
- Google Calendar
- Twilio SMS
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- AgriWebb
- AWEX eBale
- Stripe
- Dropbox
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your shearing contracting business: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We sit down with you between sheds, look at the diary, the tally books and the pay sheets and work out what's eating your nights.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your sheds, crews, rates, tallies, pay, invoicing, offline needs, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually the most painful bit first, so you get a win before the next big run.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks mid-season you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things shearing contractors ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Will it work in sheds with no phone signal?
Yes. Tallies and checklists can be entered offline and they sync once you're back in range. Plenty of sheds have no signal, so we plan for it from the start.
Can shearers see their own tallies?
Yes. Shearers can see their tallies run by run and how their pay is worked out. That clears up most pay disputes before they start.
Can it work out pay at different rates for rams, lambs and crutching?
Yes. We set it up with your rates per hundred by sheep type, plus hourly rates for shed hands and pressers. Gear deductions and allowances go on too.
Can it tell everyone when a shed gets moved because of rain?
Yes. Move the shed and everyone affected gets an SMS, including the grower, the crew and the cook. The rest of the run reshuffles on screen with any clashes flagged.
Do we have to switch from Xero, MYOB or our payroll?
No. We build around what works. Pay and invoices go straight into Xero, MYOB or Employment Hero so your bookkeeper keeps doing what they already do.
How much does a system for a shearing contractor cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like a run calendar or digital tallies can be quick. Bigger systems are planned in stages so you get the first win early, ideally before the next busy season.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most shearing contractors we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a shearing contracting business problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.